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How to Use Lasso Tool in Photoshop

Published: 16/02/2022

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Everyone wishes for a more efficient and user-friendly method of making selections and cutting out images in Photoshop. Photoshop's Lasso Tool makes it simple to draw freehand selections around an object. The advantage of this selection tool is that it feels much more intuitive than other selection tools. There are 3 different types of lasso tools that have different functions.

How to Use the Default Lasso Tool

The default lasso tool is a versatile selection that enables you to outline any item based on your movements, making it excellent for real estate photography. They're particularly handy for enclosing irregularly shaped objects in a property or subjects in a selection space.

The Lasso tool
  1. Open up the image you wanted to use. Then, use the Lasso Tool, Click L as a shortcut  or look for it on the toolbar. Go to your uppermost settings bar and choose the feather radius you prefer for your pick before you start picking. Set the feather at 0px for a lovely, crisp outline around your selection.
  • On the other hand, extending the feather radius to about 25px will give you a wonderful soft, blurred out edge. Whatever you decide, you must make a decision before proceeding with your pick.
  1. Then, by picking the solid colored square icon, ensure your selection mode is adjusted to "new selection."
  2. It's now up to you to make your decision. Begin by placing your cursor anywhere along the line you wish to choose and moving it along it. Behind your cursor, the Lasso Tool will create a selection zone.
  3. Continue down the line you want to erase until you reach the beginning of your selection. To complete the Lasso selection, press on your route after you've arrived at your starting point. To signify a selection, the path will transform into marching ants.
  4. You may now erase the backdrop, apply a layer mask to your selection, or cut and copy the part you desire for another photo. Simply right-click along the Lasso Tool path to view the options available to you.
A path that transform like marching ants

How to Use the Polygonal Lasso Tool

The Polygonal tool is used to create straight lines. Because it cannot generate any curved shapes, this tool is best suited for setting aside geometrical objects such as buildings, structures, and other flat edges which you often see if you are a real estate photographer.

Use Polygon Lasso tool
  1. To use the Lasso Tool, hold down the left mouse button over the icon in your toolbar. A pop-up menu will display, from which you can choose the Polygonal Tool.
  2. Choose the Polygonal Lasso tool and then settings.
  3. Select one of the options from the options bar. The selection options include A. New B. Add To C. Subtract From D. Intersect With 
  4. In the settings bar, configure feathering and anti-aliasing. See Soften the edges of your choices.
  5. Set the beginning point by clicking in the image.
  6. Perform one or more of the following actions:
  • To create a straight section, place the arrow where you intend the first straight section to stop and then click. Continue to click to define the endpoints for following segments.
  • Hold Shift as you advance to the next segment to draw a straight line at a multiple of 45°.
  • Hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag to draw a freehand segment. When you're done, let go of Alt or Option and the mouse button.
  • Press the Delete key to remove recently drawn straight segments.
  1. Close the boundary of the selection:
  • Click after positioning the Polygonal Lasso tool pointer above the starting point (a closed circle appears next to the cursor).
  • If the pointer is not above the starting point, double-click it, or Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click (Mac).
  1. Adjust the selection border by clicking Select and Mask.
An image using a Polygon tool

How to Use the Magnetic Lasso Tool

The magnetic lasso tool is a variant of the default tool that may be used to select oddly shaped items in an image. This Photoshop tool is thought to be particularly useful because it can detect any aberrations from the subject under consideration.

Drawing the selection path, for example, ultimately leads you off the desired path; but, when you use the magnetic lasso tool, it will automatically pull your anchor point close to the object you're selecting as if magnetizing itself to it.

The Magnetic Lasso tool
  1. Choose the Magnetic Lasso tool.
  2. Select one of the options from the options bar. The selection options include A. New B. Add To C. Subtract From D. Intersect With
  3. In the settings bar, configure feathering and anti-aliasing. See Soften the edges of your choices.
  4. The Feather feature is included in the Magnetic tool, as it is in the previous lasso tools. The Magnetic Lasso tool has several parameters that are unique to it. These options tell the tool which edges to attach to and how frequently it should do so. Set any of the following options:
  • Width - Photoshop uses the width to determine how far forward it should search for an outline. Press the Use the Caps Lock key to see the width cursor icon. When choosing a width, make sure the radius is large enough to maintain the border within the radius symbol, but not so big that Photoshop starts to include and grasp onto unwanted borders.
  • Contrast -The Magnetic Lasso works better with dark-colored items on bright-colored backgrounds (or just the other way around) since it creates an edge focused on color contrast and brightness.  By default, Photoshop sets the contrast to 10%, which implies that a difference of 10% is regarded as an edge. If your picture has a lot of contrast, increase this amount; nonetheless, for most photographs, 10% would do.
  • Frequency - The Frequency parameter controls how frequently an anchor mark is established. Lowering the Frequency might give you a smoother edge, but it can also give you missing edges. Set the Frequency to a lower value if your item is smooth. If there are a lot of little ridges, increase the Frequency. For the great majority of photos, the default setting of 57 will be enough.
  1. Set the initial fastening point by clicking in the image. The selection border is held in place by fastening points.
  2. Release or keep the mouse button pressed, then move the pointer along the edge you want to trace. The most recent part of the selection border is still in effect. The active segment snaps to the image's strongest edge as you move the cursor, based on the detection width you define in the settings bar. The Magnetic Lasso tool periodically adds attachment points to the chosen boundary to anchor preceding parts.
  3. If the border does not snap to the appropriate edge, click once to manually add a fastening point. Continue tracing the edge and adding fastening points as necessary.
  4. To fine-tune the selected boundaries, click Select and Mask.

Switching Lasso Tools While Making a Selection

Each of Photoshop's three Lasso Tools has a specific function. There's something for everyone, from freehand possibilities to magnetically attaching to an edge to completely straight lines. Each instrument has a function, yet each tool has defects. Moreover, you can use all the Lasso Tools at the same time. Here's how it works.

Starting with the Magnetic Lasso Tool is the simplest approach to get the most out of this approach. Once you've begun creating your magnetic selection, you may rapidly switch between the default lasso or the polygonal lasso by using a keyboard shortcut.

By holding down the Alt or Option key while pressing, you may go from the Magnetic tool to the Polygonal Lasso Tool. This is only valid until you add a new anchor point. The tool will then revert to the Magnetic Lasso Tool. To keep the Polygonal Lasso active, hold down the Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac) key while pressing and placing anchor points around your subject.

To return to the normal Lasso, use the Alt or Option button again, but this time tap and hold your mouse down. This activates the Lasso Tool, which allows you to freehand draw a lasso selection. When you let go of the Alt or Option key, you'll be returned to your Magnetic Lasso.

Remember that tapping these two basic keyboard keys changes the way you use the Lasso Tool. Each method of lasso selection has its own set of challenges. When you combine these, you'll have a fantastic method for creating quick selections in Photoshop.

An image using the Magnetic Lasso Tool

How to Use the Lasso Tool to Fine-Tune a Selection

If you want to fine-tune a selection after it has been made, you have several options. You may move between tools while making a selection, providing you with even more control over the final step.

Step 1: Add to a Selection

Click and hold Shift if you want to modify an existing selection. The + symbol will appear as your mouse pointer. When picking the areas you wish to include in your selection, hold Shift. This might come in handy when auto-selection leaves gaps in your material.

Step 2: Remove From a Selection

Press and hold Alt and choose the path segment you want to remove to erase a portion of a selection. This might be useful for removing and fine-tuning parts selected incorrectly by auto-select or other selection algorithms.

Step 3: Switch Between Lasso Tools

Each lasso tool has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and you'll almost certainly need to utilize more than one while making your selections. Here's a quick fix you can attempt.

  • To begin, click Alt and Click to switch to the Polygonal Lasso tool while the Magnetic tool is activated and a selection path is being formed.
  • You may switch to the Default lasso tool by holding Alt and clicking and dragging the mouse button without releasing it.
  • Return to the Magnetic tool by releasing Alt and clicking again.

How to End Your Lasso Tool Path

A lasso path can be ended or completed in Photoshop in a variety of ways. Returning to your starting point by tracing your path back around is the most simple way. Click to finish the path after you've returned to your starting point. This technique guarantees that you have a clear route to follow while also providing you with complete control from beginning to end.

Your lasso path, on the other hand, may begin and end in two different areas. You may "finish" the trail in this example by clicking anywhere along with it. A straight line will be drawn automatically between the start and finish marks in Photoshop.

If you're in the process of a selection and wish to cancel it, press the Esc key on the keyboard. Your lasso route will be canceled and you'll have to start over.

Finally, you could have gone so far as to choose your path. Use the keyboard shortcut Control + D (Windows) or Command + D (Mac)  to disable your current selection and delete your lasso selection.

An image that shows how to use Lasso tool in Photoshop

The Best Use for the Lasso Tool

The Lasso tool is useful for drawing a free-form boundary around an image's selected object. It lets you soften the edges of your selection or add a feathering effect to it; it's also useful for anti-aliasing. You can undo the selection you made using the tool, which is useful when attempting to eliminate a specific person or object from an image.

The Lasso Tool works best for selecting straight lines with little bends or curves. It takes a very steady hand to get an exact selection because it makes selections merely by dragging your mouse. As a result, this tool is best employed in instances where a rapid and painless choosing procedure is required. Making a selection around a rectangular building, for example, or cutting out the smooth sides of a coffee cup.

Because the Lasso Tool draws pathways by following the movement of your cursor, it is not suitable for making complex selections. Tree branches or hair would be an utter agony to cut out with this equipment. Instead, it thrives in areas with basic, well-defined edges that are easy to follow.

The Lasso Tool is useful for projects when you need to rapidly examine how a cut-out will appear in another photo. Rather than wasting time with a more difficult selection approach like the Pen Tool, the Lasso Tool does the same task in less than half the time. Once you've decided on a pick, you can always go back in and fine-tune it with a more accurate selection tool.

Conclusion

While Photoshop's Lasso tool is frequently seen as primitive, it is one of the simplest and quickest ways to generate selections. Instead of depending on intricate settings and Adobe's own AI, it lets you make freehand selections, allowing you to choose what gets selected and what doesn't.

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